Explanation of lens logo terms: Leica lens article

For decades, the quality of Leica camera lenses has been praised by professional photographers and enthusiasts. Whether they are early screw-type lenses or current M and R series lenses, all models are excellent. However, for many friends who are coming into contact with Leica lenses for the first time, its weird English names can make people a little confused. Let’s take a look at the meaning of the Leica lens logo.

Since Leica released the Leica-M mount and the camera Leica M3 in 1954, it has launched dozens of M-mount lenses. Different from ordinary Japanese lenses, they all have different names; But it is also different from the Zeiss lens, which is named after the lens structure. The naming of Leica lenses basically represents the maximum aperture of the lens. For example:

Summilux with an open aperture of f/1.4

Summicron with an open aperture of f/2.0

'Elmarit with an open aperture of f/2.8

p>

The name of the Leica lens

Noctilut

This is the lens with the largest aperture made by Leica. In 1966, Leica released the Noctilux-M 1:1.2/50mm, which contained an aspherical lens. The Noctilux-M 1:1/50mm currently produced is an improvement on the previous style.

Summilux

Among the lenses produced by Leica today, as long as the lens has an aperture value of 1.4, it will be named Summilux. The term first appeared in 1959 with the Summilux-M 1:1.4/50mm.

Summicron

Among the lenses produced by Leica today, as long as the lens has an aperture value of 2, it will be named Summicron. The term first appeared in 1953 with the Summicron 1:2/50mm.

Elmarit

Among the lenses produced by Leica today, as long as the lens has an aperture value of 2.8, it will be named Elmarit (exception: Elmar-M 1:2.8/50mm). The term first appeared in 1959 with the Elmarit 1:2.8/90mm.

Elmar

Among the lenses produced by Leica today, as long as the aperture value is around 4, they will be named Elmar.

Telyt

Nowadays, the ultra-telephoto lenses produced by Leica will bear this name regardless of the aperture. The first time this term appeared was in 1935 with the Telyt 1:4.5/200mm.

ROM

Read Only Memo memory reading function (Editor’s note: it should be read-only memory), when using a TTL flash, through the electronic contacts on the R8 body and lens , you can get more precise exposure control. When taking continuous light photography, the R8 body will learn the characteristics of the lens through the electronic contacts on the lens, and will try to use a better aperture when shooting in the "P" smart auto mode.

Most of the above lenses were developed and produced by Leica itself. The early models were completely based on the design of Leica L-mount lenses; in the middle and late stages, it began to completely redesign its M-mount lens product line. The entire lens group also includes some early lenses that were commissioned from other lens manufacturers, such as:

Zeiss’ Hologon 15/8;

Schneider’s Super Angulon 21/4 , Super Angulon 21/3.4 and so on.

Even the Leica M mount lenses with the same specifications have been successively launched in different versions as the times change. What is significant is that each updated version is accompanied by major changes in the optical structure, which involves almost all lenses. Lenses of most sizes. This reflects from one aspect that Leica is quite progressive in lens design.